Carex bullata Schkuhr ex Willd.
Button sedge
Button sedge is native to eastern North America. It is relatively rare.
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Desperately Seeking Carex With close to 800 species in North America, and 2000 worldwide, many Carex species are difficult to identify. You might want to consult this quick guide to Carex anatomy. |
Plants: Plants have separate stems or produce small tufts (vs. many other Carex species, which form dense tufts). Stems are 12–33″ (30–85 cm) tall, and triangular (“trigonous”) in cross-section.
Leaves: 1/16–⅛″ (1.8–5 mm) wide. Blades may be smooth or rough-textured, and flat or somewhat W-shaped in cross-section.
Flowers: Inflorescence is 3–12″ (8–30 cm) long. There are one to three staminate (male) spikes atop the inflorescence. Each spike has a bract roughly the length of the spike. Below are one to three pistillate (female) spikes, ⅜–1¾ ⨉ ⅜–¾″ (1–5 ⨉ 1–2 cm). They are comprised of green or straw-colored perigynia with 9–12-veins, and are ⅛–⅜ ⨉ 1/16–⅛″ (5.9–10 ⨉ 2.4–3.3 mm) in size.
Fruits: Achenes are three-sided, smooth, and lacking an indentation. Fruits appear from May to August.
Habitats: Acidic bogs, fens, meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes, at elevations below 3609′ (1.1 km).
Online References:
References:
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 10 cm) 
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 3 × 2″ (7.6 × 5.8 cm) 
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 3 × 3½″ (8.5 × 9.4 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Liliopsida | Monocots (plants with a single seed leaf); includes the lily family |
| Subclass | Commelinidae | Dayflowers and spiderworts, and several others |
| Order | Cyperales | Flowering plants including grasses |
| Family | Cyperaceae | Sedge family |
| Genus | Carex | The “true” sedges |
| Species | bullata | From Latin bullatus, ”inflated,“ for the inflated perigynia |
Carex bullata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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